Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) - TVC - Basic (VC32)

* Wave 4 of The Vintage Collection was available through online retailers in January 2011

One way Hasbro keeps us in check is when they finally update a previously attempted action figure. It's usually only through an incredible upgrade of an older figure do we finally appreciate how good that newly updated figure is indeed. Take for instance The Vintage Collection Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) figure. This version of Anakin Skywalker has the distinction of being the very first figure in 2002’s Star Wars “Saga” collection. It must have struck a chord with the team at Hasbro since it became numero uno, but unfortunately the final version of the figure left a lot to be desired. Bringing back a concept that was introduced last in the vintage line, Hasbro incorporated the action feature of the telescoping lightsaber that "hid" in the cavity of the figure's right arm. Yes, Anakin Skywalker’s right arm housed a blue lightsaber blade that came out of a chunky hilt that was molded into this hand. The figure was terrible. There is really no other way to put it. But one thing Hasbro managed to do right with the figure was include an interesting storage container (it looked cool at least). Despite its flaws, the figure had some nice features in the paint job. And it is our opinion after comparing The Vintage Collection figure to the 2002 Star Wars “Saga” figure that for the most part, the 2002 version has the nicer paint job. What the 2002 figure doesn’t have, however, is a great all-new sculpt that is super-articulated with corrected height and hair color. (Though we think Anakin’s hair is too dark on the TVC version.)

Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) may not be 100% perfect, but it is a long overdue update to a figure that needed a revisit essentially right after it was released. Besides, we would nonetheless rank the TVC Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) as “excellent” because he is a great action figure and done very well. The details put into making the costume look authentic are quite impressive, and while we have small issues with some of decisions made decorating him, Anakin Skywalker is still worthy of your hard earned dollars. Where he lacks (only slightly) is in the paint job. We’ve already mentioned that his hair looks a little bit too dark, but the rest of the outfit seems to have some details that have been colored incorrectly for reasons unknown. We are not saying Anakin has a bad paint job, but Hasbro essentially nailed the coloring of this costume on the inferior 2002 costume. Those same paint operations didn’t transfer over to The Vintage Collection. We’ve noticed that the pattern on his shirt looks to be exactly as it was in the film, but still the 2002 figure’s shirt tends to look more realistic for some reason even without a perfectly replicated pattern. (It’s all in the weathered paint job. This makes a huge difference! We say this all of the time!) We also feel that his head looks too big for his body. But we think we know why that is the case. We imagine Hasbro didn't want his head to "disappear" when surrounded by the large and bulky poncho. With a thin body to boot, the head looks slightly out of scale.

Anakin Skywalker is super-articulated. He can be positioned into pretty much any configuration you want. His lack of ball-jointed hips won’t give you the total flexibility you desire, but there is enough pliability included and it's completely worth your while. He comes with a lightsaber, a separate lightsaber hilt, and a gorgeous canvas poncho. It is a very clean poncho, but you can see the rugged burlap texture and it is such an authentic replica to the costume worn in the film. Hasbro has expertly tailored some pleats into the poncho which makes it hang with an unbelievably realistic drape and it hangs off of his shoulders naturally. The poncho interestingly has been installed backwards on the figure. (The v-neck is on the back of the figure. But if you try to correct this by turning it around, the poncho doesn't sit right on the figure and sticks out and doesn't have the same nice drape than if you put it on him the incorrect way. (Interesting, huh?) But when fully assembled, Anakin Skywalker just looks amazing and almost as if he jumped right our of Episode II. If we had to pick at something else, we would claim that he is too skinny. This must have been done for a reason maybe related to the poncho. The 2002 figure looked very bulky and too wide. This issue doesn’t occur with The Vintage Collection version. It lays close to the body while still looking full. Hasbro did a phenomenal job on getting this fine details just right. Overall, Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) definitely grabs our attention and he looks awesome next to the new Padmé Amidala (Peasant Disguise) (VC33) figure. If you’re looking to update your 2002 figure, just hold onto the accessories to put with this figure. Thank goodness accessories don’t age as poorly as the figures do!